Magnanimous Cavalier
by The Illustrious Captain
Summary: A distress call echoes from the abyss. The crew of the Ghost chooses to investigate and get more than they bargained for. Thomas Padmore, illustrious Commander of the Cavalier has been captured by the Empire. Curious and desperate as they are, the crew investigates. Set post season 1 of Star Wars Rebels.
1. The Adventure Begins!

A/N

Greetings for the first time ever! Welcome to the enigma that is my mind. After reading a fantastic fic titled Flaming Rebellion I have decided to dabble in the art of the pen. Thanks to CCougar42709 for that great story (seriously go read it, it is quite good and there is a sequel to it.)

Just a heads-up this will be based in the Star Wars universe circa Rebels post season 1 (for enough character development but not toooo much), but will be featuring technology and theory from several universes. At this time I am unsure if that qualifies for crossover or not. Featured universe tech will be from both Elite: Dangerous and possibly Mass Effect simply because those are fantastic universes with "hard" (used exceptionally loosely, i.e. not like in _The Martian_ ) science concepts that are theoretically possible but just fantastic enough (looking at ME in particular) that they qualify for science fiction. I highly recommend looking up several things from those universes in order to get an idea of what things look like and/or the specifics of their operation.

That said this will end up being AU. Don't be surprised if some familiar elements (mostly super OP space combat and non-Newtonian flight models as Star Wars is known for) are portrayed in a way that makes sense for this story but not the rest of Star Wars at large.

I own nothing but my character. Star Wars, Elite: Dangerous, and Mass Effect are all owned by their respective companies. (Thanks for making them by the way, you magnificent people, you.)

Without further ado, ON WITH THE SHOW!

"Captain's Log Entry #F4524: I have been away from the bubble for far too long on this shakedown, I'm starting to wonder if this was a bad idea to head for Colonia in this tub. _Magnanimous Cavalier_ may be old but DeLacy builds them well. My onboard "intelligence" the Automated Defense and Management Interface, or as I call him Adam has been plagued with problems that were unforeseen by the designers over at The Jet's Hole. I just hope that it holds up to the stress of interdiction. Yeah, that's a laugh, ship'll probably implode before we even drop out of Cruise*. Ah well, you know how it goes. Got around 75 more jumps before I reach Jaques' . Too bad the neutron highway isn't mapped yet or it could be just 5 or 6. This is Commander Thomas Padmore, signing off. End Log Entry"

I push away from the console at the back of the cockpit as I let out a tremendous sigh and scrub my face with my hand, fatigued and eye-strained from too long jumping between stars.

 _This trip is taking forever, sometimes I wish that there was a way to make it all in one jump. Heh, that's a good one, nothing is ever easy that way_. I think as I slowly walk back to the tiny living compartment.

One quick glance around the cramped area tells all there is about it, dull, uniform and very stark, clearly meant for short cruises. It gets the job done but does no favors for creature comforts, a testament to its origin as a smuggling ship the _Cavalier_ sure had it rough for the first leg of its life; before I found her in the shipyard just waiting to be scrapped for parts. I poured everything I could get on a loan into this little ship and got a fairly capable little frontiership for my new gig ferrying mining equipment and ores back and forth to Jacqes'

Laying down in the small bunk I nearly hit the top bunk as Adam's voice materializes out of nowhere.

"Sir, would you like fo-"

"Jesus Adam! You nearly gave me a coronary." I say as I nearly smack my face on the upper bunk.

"Apologies Sir, that was not my intention"

"Just get on with it, what did you need?" I say as I slowly rub my now slightly sore neck.

"My inquiry is if you would like for me to plot and carry out the remaining jumps as per the usual or if you might like to try a, erm, _theoretical_ shortcut?"

"Define theoretical?" I ask putting much emphasis on the term.

"Certainly, I believe you are acquainted with Ms. Ryder?'

"Yeah, so?"

"Well, Ms. Ryder has come up with an algorithm similar to the old 'slingshot' gravity assists that the now defunct NASA used, but on a larger scale."

"How large we talking here?"

"Many orders of Magnitude, it involves black holes Sir."

"Tell me again, how crazy is this woman?" I ask with great apprehension and worry in my voice.

"Ms. Ryder is an esteemed engineer with many merits and accomplishments in the field of theoretical faster than light ventures, she is quite sane and the math involved is entirely sound and peer-reviewed." Adam said, sounding as indignant as an intelligence that uses an old synthesizer to speak can.

"How accurate is that data, and has it been done?" I ask as I raise an eyebrow, now intrigued rather than flat-out panicked that my intelligence had gone bat-shit insane.

"This data is nearly 100% accurate as of the last up-link that I had with Gal-Net. I have no awareness of its prior use by a human, however numerous unmanned vehicles have performed the maneuver successfully."

"I don't know, sounds OK I guess but how can we be sure?' I ask once more apprehensive about the possibility of becoming a pancake under the immense pressure of a black hole.

"We cannot be." Adam say simply and without hesitation.

"Then we are NOT going to do it." I instruct my only company on this ship.

"Very well Sir, I will avoid plotting the course via those parameters."

"Wake me in 9 hours, ship's time, unless something demands my attention, like pirates or a hailing."

"Very good Sir."

With that out of the way I once again attempt to drift off, however my mind is occupied with worry, Adam has not exactly proven to be very obedient in the past when unproven science is in play….

So, what do you guys and gals think? If you couldn't guess already, this chapter takes place not in a galaxy far, far away but here in our own. This friends, is the galaxy of Elite: Dangerous where my very own original character, Commander (CMDR) Thomas Padmore and his "buddy" the intelligence Adam, start their story.

Fear not fellow fans! Our heroes will be in the next chapter! I can't resist me a good opener! I know, I know, Cliché black hole is Cliché. But tell me, where else can you find an unexplainable phenomenon that could be using gravity (or dark energy) to create a tear in space-time and deposit my main man in the right place?

P.S The story cover art is a screenshot of a Cobra MKIII from Elite: Dangerous that I am using as the visual aid for the _Magnanimous Cavalier._ All mentions of the ship are feasible parts as per the rules set in place by that game.

*Cruise refers to Supercruise, the FTL method of traveling in a solar system in the Elite: Dangerous world. It is essentially space being warped in front and behind the ship to achieve a very high rate of speed.

**Witch Space is similar to this but on grander scales, it is more akin to using a portable wormhole to Supercruise from A to B in less than a minute. Used to jump between stars rather than in system. So where Star wars has hyperdrives, that drop you right on target with travel time, Frame Shift Drives (FSD) have no travel time between stars, but have more time between planets or asteroids or whatever you may want to approach and once you approach using the much slower standard Supercruise then you can drop _near_ (20km) the target, not right on top of it.


	2. The Encounter

FWEEP! FWEEP! FWEEP!

Alarms blare as I am thrown clear from my bunk.

I try to gather my wit as I bark out, "ADAM! WHAT'S GOING ON?"

Nothing but garbled static fills my ears as the PA is clearly broken.

I stumble over to the locker and quickly don my pressure suit and personal life support in case the hull has been breached.

Scrambling towards the cockpit I am rattled off the walls by an unknown force.

Punching the panel to access the cockpit I jump into the command seat and take stock of the situation.

 _OK, shields are down, FSD malfunctioning but not jettisoned, meaning I am not in Cruise anymore, Adam is unresponsive and the navigation system is offline. Time for some emergency maneuvers._

As I grab the flight stick and throttle, I jam the throttle to full and then hit the button for sublight boosters. I feel the G's as the _Cavalier_ 's primary ion drives spool up and then go into overtime trying to compensate for the massive inertia that has built up.

I fight the stick for control of the maneuvering thrusters and the gyroscope, which appears to be damaged as the flight assist system is unresponsive.

"COME ON BABY YOU GOT THIS GVE ME JUST A LITTLE MORE!" I holler to the empty ship as the gyroscope makes a horrific noise and the main drives scream with the effort to stop the ship's out of control tumble through space.

I glance down to the relative speed indicator and see that the speed is quickly falling I begin to relax and take in more of the situation.

 _Ok, diagnostic scan indicates internal stress fractures from massive acceleration as well as multiple modules showing electrical damage. Time to start the AFMU to get the fractures. I might be in for a good schematic reading and soldering session._

Puffing out a sigh of relief as I hit the release for my helmet as the atmosphere of the ship is intact I ask rhetorically "Adam, you still with me?"

Silence is my only reply.

I quickly get up and head to the SRV bay where I keep Adam's AI core and see that is has been punctured by some of the spare suspension parts for the SRV.

 _Damn it! I guess I am on my own until I can get Adam's mainframe fixed, hopefully the memory modules are still intact so I can find out what happened._

As I gather the wiring diagrams for the various modules of the ship I get a ping from the ship's computer telling me that the primary starboard sublight thruster has suffered an overload and will need to be repaired from the outside of the ship.

 _Meaning I am going nowhere fast. Great. Best thing I can do for that is activate my distress beacon and transmit on all known frequencies and hope someone out in the black can hear it._

I run my hand through my short, brown hair as I weigh the consequences.

 _Well I can't afford the repairs required for this much damage, and without the main drives I sure as hell can't risk going into a gravity well to use the SRV to gather materials for the AFMU to fix it all. Time to start that beacon and hope that someone in the mood for charity drops by I guess._ I think as I make my way back to the cockpit.

Flipping the required switches I activate my translator chip and record a message that repeats through multiple major languages, "This is the _Magnanimous Cavalier,_ I have had a mechanical failure and require assistance, say again this is the _Magnanimous Cavalier,_ I am in need of assistance." After attaching the required codes, as per Federation standards, I return to the SRV bay and start soldering.

 _Jeez, just when you think your luck can't get any worse. I guess I am just destined to stay a hover truck mechanic for the rest of time if this keeps up. I wonder how long I will be stuck here, rationing will only hold me for so long._

And then it hits me

 _I might die here, alone in the black._

 _And I really don't want that._

With that in mind I redouble my efforts to quickly get as many repairs done as I can in hopes of getting the FSD operational before that happens.

I glance up at the clock on my helmet's HUD and see that around 3 hours, ship's time, have passed.

 _Wow, didn't think I have been working this long. Guess its time to figure out the rations and see how long I have._

I slowly trudge up the ramp and into the living compartment and open the vac fridge.

Taking inventory I note that there is about enough for a week or two at the most.

 _Well, slap me and paint me black I guess I am really not well stocked. This is only a third its capacity! I guess that is what happens when you plan for a trip to go smoothly._

Closing the fridge after grabbing one half a standard meal I heat it up and return to the cockpit to check on the AFMU's progress. I am not surprised to see the results are less than stellar.

 _Partial functionality restored to the mains and all fractures repaired, but still no FSD or shields. At least I am not in the bubble where the blasted pirates would poke a hole and watch me suffocate._

I hear a pinging in my suit and bring my attention to the comms panel where my beacon has been met with a hail.

"This is the Imperial Light Cruiser _Constable_ to unidentified ship, prepare to be boarded and searched for contraband."

 _What in the galaxy is a light cruiser doing this far from the bubble? Shouldn't they be off fighting the Thargoids?_

" _Constable_ , this is _Magnanimous Cavalier_ , I believe you are responding to my distress call? I could really use a tow as my sublights are shot and my FSD is non-functional; how do you copy?" I ask, trying to sound professional for the brass but finding it hard to keep the elation out of my voice.

I am met with no reply as I feel a "THUNK" from something, hopefully a shuttle, attaching to the _Cavalier._

I hit the button for the main airlock and start back towards it when I see a man in striking, blindingly white armor raise a weapon I have never seen before and then everything is black.

A/N

Ok so I lied, no Ghost crew yet. But how will our hero cope with the Imperials? Especially now that they shot first (like Greedo, lol) Stay tuned for more next time on:

 _MAGNANIMOUS CAVALIER_


	3. The Jailbreak

I feel the cobwebs slowly clear as I begin to stir from my unconsciousness and I groan involuntarily.

 _God, I feel like I got hit by a Python, what hit me?_

And then it all rushes back to me

I jolt myself awake only to find that the only part of me that moves is my head and neck.

Confused I strain my extremities against my bonds and then relax as I realize that I am not going anywhere.

 _Great, a tumble from Cruise straight into the brig, I wonder how they figured me out so quick?_

Before I can continue my train of thought a hiss of compressed gases forces open the door in front of me.

"Ah, you are awake now it seems, scum." A man in drab green uniform with strange blocks on his breast says with contempt.

"Who the hell are you? Where am I and why did you take me!?" I slightly raise my voice with barely masked agitation.

Ignoring my questions the man continues, "Quite a primitive ship you have there Mr. Padmore, no one has used wormhole travel in millennia. The Imperial Science Division will no doubt strip it for parts and see how it ticks."

 _Millennia? FSD travel is state of the art. This man surely is attempting to break me with mind games._

"You touch the _Cavalier_ and I will personally see to it that you are blown out the nearest airlock!" I scream at him as he threatens my only home.

"You Mr. Padmore are in no position to be making demands."

"That's COMMANDER Padmore to you! I have friends in the Empire that will see to it that you never command a ship again!"

"I do believe you are mistaken as the Empire has no record of you or your ship anywhere in its vast databases. That makes you a valuable asset for hunting down these rebels . You will spill your secrets and if you do not your ship will."

With that he turns on his heel, pauses and then turns back.

"I do hope you like _shocking_ experiences."

And then he turns back.

 _Shocking? What does he mea-_

"AAAAAHHHHHHH!"

* * *

"HUH HUH HUH HUH"

I pant as yet another "shock therapy" session ends.

 _I don't know how long I have been here and lost count of the number of times this thing has cycled. They can do their worst but anything is better than going back. I will not go back. Not now, not ever._

As I close my eyes and attempt to rest before it starts again the alarm blares to life and I am jolted from my respite.

I hear several people in the hall and they sound like they are running around trying to get something done when I hear weird, off-tone plasma repeaters firing.

 _What? Plasma Repeaters are way to heavy to be used as infantry weapons._

I quickly try to take stock of my situation in case these "Imperials" decide I am more valuable dead than in enemy hands.

 _So, restrained wrist and ankles, no waist band, no omni-tool; therefore no easy way out, looks like I am strung up with nothing I can do._

 _Except hit the pressure suit and maybe pop these restraints._

 _It's a stretch without the helmet, but If I can puff the suit up enough to become rigid then maybe I can slip my hands out of the restraints._

I stretch my fingers for all they are worth to hit the emergency pressure override located on the bottom of my wrist.

 _GOT IT!_

I hear air rapidly escaping my suit but slowly feel it becoming less a suit and of a bubble.

As soon as my hands are free I quickly pull them from the restraints and then cancel the override and the now deflated gloves slip easily out of the restraints.

 _That's the problem with adjustable restraints. They can be fooled._

I have lots of experience with that.

I undo the leg restraints and quickly move to the back of the table I was strapped to in hopes that I can lure someone in and then jump them and get their weapons.

Unfortunately that would be too easy.

Two of those troops in white barge through the door and quickly start sweeping the small area.

 _They must have sensors that detect movement. Figures I would have the shit luck._

As they are getting closer and one of them spots me I explode from my "cover" and quickly tackle one of them and as this is happening another figure appears.

"Say goodnight." He says as he uses one of those weird sounding guns to shoot the other trooper that was searching for me.

I have incapacitated the first guard and secured his weapon and quickly turn and brandish it at the new figure, who is wearing some kind of armor over his right arm with a green sweater under that.

"I ain't going anywhere with anyone till I get some answers!" I say defensively.

The figure holsters his gun and raises his hands as he says, "Woah! Hey! No need for that we're here to free you from the Empire!"

 _I guess if they oppose these assholes, the enemy of my enemy and all that._

 _But I will get some answers._

"Alright fine, name's Padmore, how do we get off this nightmare?" I say, earnest to get back to the _Cavalier_ so I can make some sense of all this.

"Kanan, introductions can wait! Follow me!" The man in green, Kanan, says as he quickly runs to the left.

As I follow behind him I see him raise a device and speak into it. "Spectre 2, gonna need a pickup, and its gonna be hot!"

"On my way Spectre 1!" an obviously female voice replies.

"Spectres 3, 5, and 6, heads-up we are coming in from the right!" Kanan says into the device again.

"Copy that Spectre 1." A gravelly voice says in return.

 _So at least a six man team then. Huh seems a bit fishy that they can bust into a ship this size with little trouble._

Not that I'm complaining.

"Hey! Kanan! I've got a ship that they probably captured. It's a bit beat-up but its got firepower!" I say, out of breath from the mad dash to what I assume is the hangar if the size is to be an indicator, not to mention these strange things which appear to be fighters hanging from the ceiling in racks.

"Yeah? Could be useful." Kanan replies as he guns down a few more guards before we reach a few crates that we use as cover.

"It's that blue one over there!" I holler as I point it out.

Kanan spares a glance over to it before he returns fire again.

"You need a gunner?" He asks quickly between return shots.

"Yeah! If I want to use the Burst Lasers*!" I reply while hunkering down with the now malfunctioning weapon in hand.

"Spectres 3 and 6 give our aquantaince some cover fire while he gets to his ship! Spectre 5 get aboard it and see if you can get it ready to go!" Kanan commands over the comms device.

I make a desperate sprint for the boarding ramp and don't stop until I am at the command chair and am running the commands for startup.

"Uhh, no offense but I can't read any of this" a female voice says to my right.

I spare a glance that way after the drives start spooling for liftoff.

 _Huh, that's different. I have never seen a helmet like that before._

"Don't worry about it we are good to go! Your friends need to get aboard now if they are gonna!" I tell her, now franticly powering the weapons systems and praying to God that the shields are repaired.

"Spectre 1 its' now or never!" I hear her say to a panel on her right forearm.

"GO! We're aboard!"

As soon as I hear that I mash the throttle forward and jam the stick forward for maneuvers.

 _Forgetting all about the damaged starboard thruster._

"Hold on! This is gonna be a bumpy ride!"

* * *

A/N

*Burst lasers are a type of weapon in the Elite universe. They function as one would expect from a laser but with an intermittent pulse effect. Not as useful as a full power continuous beam but better for shooting small, fast targets that you might have short time on target for. The ones on the _Cavalier_ are mounted venterally, outboard of the main thrusters (i.e. on the bottom near the end of the wings)

What will happen now that Thomas has encounter the crew?

Find out next time on:

 _MAGNANIMOUSS CAVALIER_


	4. Copy and Paste

"Hold on to anything you can! You, strap in and grab that yoke! The screen in front of you is the rectilce for the turrets!" I bark as I fight the ship for control as the starboard main struggles to keep up.

"Got it!" The girl with the helmet replies quickly.

My scanners screech a warning as numerous contacts appear directly behind the _Cavalier._

 _Shit, no way to outrun them got t-_

Then they start breaking up one by one.

"I hope you have my spectres taken care of in there because if you don't you'll regret it, hang on while I dock with your airlock so we can get to hyperspace!" the female voice from before says authoritatively.

"Don't worry they are great in here! Just get us out of here." I say, off-put by the not so subtle threat.

 _Huh, that's an interesting effect_

The stars streak by as I hear the airlock open with a hiss of gas and then I turn my chair to see the rest of the team that rescued me as well as what I assume to be their pilot.

 _What in God's name are those two? I never heard anything about intelligent life like them._

Before I can form any questions The one I know as Kanan beats me to it. "So. Who are you, where do you come from and why were you in distress? Obviously fake answers will not cut it, you were important enough to be captured and your ship to be left intact very uncommon as far as Imperial work goes."

I fidget in my seat before I decide to stand and offer the standard greeting of my caste. I slowly bring my head to my chest and run my right hand from the base of my neck to the middle of my forehead.

 _I hate this. People shouldn't impose these rules just because of my background, too bad any one that disregards it dies._

"What was that?" The obviously younger boy says quizzically.

"Don't you know? Everyone knows the clone greeting and acknowledgement." I say, genuinely confused.

Then something unexpected happens.

The older man pulls two pieces off his belt slaps them together and what appears to be a plasma blade erupts from it and he holds it level with my nose, while his team has those odd repeaters trained on my center of mass.

"WOAH WOAH! What did I do?" I yell as I try to flinch away and cover my torso with my arms in a crude attempt to preserve my life.

"You said you were a clone! Start talking or I give you a nose job!" Kanan states darkly and through gritted teeth.

"OK! Please don't shoot me! I will explain everything I can!" I say with a shaky voice.

 _Never had my life threatened by anything but a button before, this is new._

"I am a clone, #C4378 batch 4, meaning I was part of wave four of Project Lazarus, otherwise known as the salvation of mankind. See where I come from we are at war with a race of sentient spacecraft called Thargoids. They have glassed hundreds of planets, poisoned others with ammonia and the death toll is in the trillions last I knew. We developed a biological weapon, Cerberus, to combat them. That said it was not 100 percent effective, it was however 98 percent effective on humanity. The number of "truebloods" is less than 500,000, last count, So cloning was implemented."

"And what is the purpose of these clones?" The odd green alien asks me.

"Depending on who your template is, one of three things. Cannon Fodder for the Thargoids on the ground; menial labor; or servants for the truebloods. We are given no rights, little in the way of sustenance, and no mercy. The only reason I am here is because where I was stationed for menial labor was attacked by the Thargoids and I managed to escape in a Dolphin Liner. I figured I needed a name and the pilot's registration said Thomas Padmore. So I took that moniker and used it to get a proper ship. That ship is what you stand in now, the _Magnanimous Cavalier."_ I finish with great sadness in my voice.

 _That was harder than I thought, I thought I would be kill-switched the moment they figured out what I was._

"The Clones we are familiar with, they, they turned on us at the end of the Clone War and they slaughtered the entire Order, so excuse me If we are a bit wary of your kind." Kanan says with a biting seethe to his tone.

 _Order? What order?_

"Sorry," I say sheepishly, "I don't know what Order you mean."

All 5 of them do a spit take look like that was the most ridiculous thing they had ever heard.

"What do you mean, what order? The Jedi Order, only the longest running organization in the Galaxy, sworn defenders of the Republic an-" Kanan says indignantly before I cut him off.

"What Republic? There hasn't been a republic since the establishment of the Earth Confederation." I say as I massage my temples in frustration.

"Kanan, a word please?" The Green alien asks kindly.

 _I really need to get some names_ I think as Kanan and his companion walk into a separate compartment.

"Sooo, some interesting ship you go there. Lots of this tech is really foreign to anything I know, and I know lots of tech" The girl with the armor says.

"Uhh, sorry can I get your names? I am not sure I have yet." I say a bit sheepishly.

"I'm Sabine, that's Zeb, Ezra, and Hera left with Kanan." The girl, Sabine says as she points at them.

"Well, as you just heard I am Thomas Padmore, and you stride aboard the _Magnanimous Cavalier."_


	5. Fit-it

A/N Ok readers, just a heads up. I mentioned that this was set post season one, that does not mean that it will exactly follow the timeline for season two. That said in order for this particular chapter to work this bending of the timeline is required.

TSSSSS!

"OWOWOWOW!" I yelp as my hand is slightly fried by the boost capacitor.

"You ok down there?" I hear Sabine yell from her perch atop the _Cavalier_.

"Nah I'm fine, just got burned by the capacitor, apparently _SOMEONE_ didn't power it down as requested!" I half-shout as I hear that blasted robot doing his best impression of a laugh.

 _Its been four days since my explosive escape from the "Empire" and I still haven't been allowed to do a damn thing but fix my ship and be confined to quarters. Sure does feel less like a friendly place and more like a pseudo-prison. I_

As I crank the last bolt into place and re-seal the armor plating I am greeted with a luminous blue light.

 _That's better, now I don't have to worry about my engine dying at the worst possible moment._

I clamber up the makeshift scaffold to get on top of the ship and notice that Sabine and Ezra are still neck deep in the shield module repairs.

"So, engine is done to the extent needed, the AFMU can take it from where I left it, how's the shield generator going?" I ask trying not to laugh as Ezra, who is waist deep into the top of my ship whacks his head as he jumps from my arrival.

"AHH! Going just great if you didn't already notice, by the way could this ship be any more compacted?" He replies, dripping with sarcasm.

"Pfft, This ship is built to be accommodated by the most remote of outpost stations, so yeah it couldn't be any more compacted." I deadpan back to him, earning a scoff in return.

I turn around as I rise from my crouched stature as I receive a tap on the shoulder.

"I gotta ask, how old is this ship? This hyperdrive is dated as any that I have seen." Sabine asks indignantly, most likely preparing a comeback to rib me.

"I will have you know that frame shift technology is far and away the most advanced method of FTL ever conceived; what I don't understand is how you lot can stand to take weeks at a time in Hyperspace with no return to sublight speeds."

"And what we don't get is how your people haven't managed to automate the 'frame shift' to jump without supervision." She quickly retorts.

"Touche."

 _Better question is when and how am I going to get ADAM fixed, after all he is most likely the reason I am here at all. Blasted AI probably went straight for the nearest black hole and flew right into it._

As I make my way back to the living compartment for a bit of burn medication I pass the armory and the well-worn hardsuit that I have yet to don.

"What's the story on the armor?" I hear Sabine ask, most likely curious for the same reason as she seems to wear armor all the time.

 _Which I have yet to uncover_.

"Well, I acquired this armor from my batchmate, who was drafted as a front line grunt for putting down rebellions and coups, clones were poorly equipped once shipped so this was his first and only suit and has seen many battlefields. I happened to be attached to his unit's engineer corps to repair their trucks as they advanced planetside. His truck took a hit from a grenade launcher and he was thrown clear, in the panic I went to his side. By the time I got there he was already gone. So I feigned death and being a clone was overlooked by the reinforcements seeing as we are expendable. After the fact I took his armor and weapons and masqueraded as a grunt in order to get passage off the planet to the station that I would eventually escape from." I decide to stop there before I really start to ramble.

She looks away from me and back to the armor, apparently in reverence of a fallen soldier.

 _From what I gather her people are honorable warriors, so this is either an insult to his memory or an extreme gesture of honor for the deceased's armor to be worn by another._

"The mannequin is a bit much, but otherwise how do you like the armor? Is it functional?"

 _Uhhh, ok not what I was expecting_

"I haven't actually used it since I escaped the station, and never in open conflict; but it is comfortable and has some nice tech additions."

She shrugs as she continues back to the FSD "Your drive appears to be functional, the brass will probably want a wet run to shakedown the repairs."

"Well, if that is the case, the _Cavalier_ Is happy to oblige."


End file.
